Lecture examines restoration of Catholicism in 16th century England

The Northern Rebellion of 1569 and restoration of Catholicism in England will be the topic of discussion at an upcoming lecture delivered by Krista Kesselring, Ph.D., “Faith, Politics and Protest in Elizabethan England.” The lecture takes place Thursday, Feb. 25 at 7 p.m., in Monroe Library, Multimedia Room 2. The talk is free and open to the public.

According to Kesselring, associate professor of history at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the Earls of Northumberland and Westmorland raised their banners and rallied a force of more than 6,000 men to effect the restoration of Catholicism in England in November 1569.

While the men marched through the north of the country, friends and families remaining in the parishes burned Protestant books and restored Catholic services. Their efforts shook the Protestant settlement established under Queen Elizabeth I.

“Nevertheless, historians have long treated the rising largely as a failed aristocratic coup, a baronial revolt that marked the end of feudalism and in which religion acted merely as a thin cover for baser motives,” said Kesselring. “In this talk, I will reexamine the revolt, presenting evidence for the active, willing engagement of the rank and file.”

Kesselring is the author of two books, “The Northern Rebellion of 1569: Faith, Politics and Protest in Elizabethan England,” published by Palgrave Macmillan and “Mercy and Authority in the Tudor State,” published by Cambridge University Press. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in history from Dalhousie University and her doctorate in history from Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario.

This lecture is sponsored by Loyola’s Biever Lecture Series and the College of Humanities and Natural Sciences.

For more information or to schedule an interview, contact Sean Snyder in Loyola’s Office of Public Affairs at smsnyder@loyno.edu or call 504-861-5882.